Cheap AIS receivers

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Andrew E

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No doubt this has been covered many times before but I'm looking for a cheap AIS solution that doesn't involve WiFi/the internet, eg so not Vessel Find or Marine Traffic.

Ideally something that connects from the VHF to a laptop/tablet using OpenCPN or something?

Are there any affordable solutions out there for that?

Thanks in advance.
 
'Affordable' can be so much :p

When I last replaced the VHF I got a new with built-in AIS receiver and NMEA 0183 + 2000

Plug 'n play, communicates two way with the plotter
 
Spi D said:
'Affordable' can be so much :p

When I last replaced the VHF I got a new with built-in AIS receiver and NMEA 0183 + 2000

Plug 'n play, communicates two way with the plotter
Click to expand...

How much did that cost you?

To be honest I don't want to spend more than £100 and I would use my laptop to display the data as my chart plotter is from historic times.
 
Andrew E said:
No doubt this has been covered many times before but I'm looking for a cheap AIS solution that doesn't involve WiFi/the internet, eg so not Vessel Find or Marine Traffic.

Ideally something that connects from the VHF to a laptop/tablet using OpenCPN or something?

Are there any affordable solutions out there for that?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

This is one available from a fellow forum member. Not used it my self but would fit a lap top very easy. only 33.99 GBP

http://www.quark-elec.com/products/marine-electronics/139-qk-g021
 
Andrew E said:
How much did that cost you?

To be honest I don't want to spend more than £100 and I would use my laptop to display the data as my chart plotter is from historic times.
Click to expand...

You are not going to get a proper AIS receiver for that sort of money.

I think the nearest will be the USB version of the DY AIS100 @ around £147: http://www.cactusnav.com/digital-yacht-ais100-receiver-p-11631.html

Plugs into and is powered by the USB port of your laptop, so is easy in that sense. However it will still need an aerial to be connected, either via a splitter with your VHF or a seperate dedicated aerial.

£41 quid for a heliflex which you can easily transom mount: http://www.cactusnav.com/shakespeare-heliflex-version-with-cable-plug-p-9755.html?cPath=1117_93_5922

Splitters are more, a cheap version might be a Glomex at £57 but these have mixed reviews. You seem to get what you pay for with splitters. http://www.force4.co.uk/glomex-vhfaisam-fm-radio-splitter.html#.V_FPyvS2Grw

So you are going to be paying a little over double your expected budget for a system.

Edited to add: forgot all about AIS dongles which may very well suit your needs as linked above. You will still need an aerial.
 
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Think VHF / AIS combos start from £ 220 but then you'd get a new marine radio at the same time.

I went for an ICOM at higher price as I wanted certain properties like last call recording and some - plus a large display. Dimensions had to meet my space requirements too (flush mount).
 
Great replies, thank you.

The USB dongle looks like a goer. Has anybody used it?

Out of interest, what sort of money would a full Raymarine AIS suite cost excluding the chart plotter... Thousands?

I only really need something I can occasionally check if I'm unsure of a another ships speed and course so it seems silly spending mega bucks on anything.
 
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Andrew E said:
Great replies, thank you.

The USB dongle looks like a goer. Has anybody used it?

Out of interest, what sort of money would a full Raymarine AIS suite cost excluding the chart plotter... Thousands?

I only really need something I can occasionally check if I'm unsure of a another ships speed and course so it seems silly spending mega bucks on anything.
Click to expand...

In that case, go for one of the Quark ones (is that the same Quark that used to run a bar ?).

Go for a separate antenna on the pushpit, rather than a splitter, as this gives you a backup VHF antenna if you wire it appropriately.
 
The really cheap DIY option is to use an RTL-SDR for about £3.70+ postage on ebay

Then eg follow this tutorial

http://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-tutorial-cheap-ais-ship-tracking/

Apparently works with OpenCPN too.

Wouldnt be surprised if the QK-A021 is basically the same thing inside.

Having said that, this is really something to use for watching AIS ashore, or as a back up system. If you go in crowded waters or sail in low visibility get a proper one as it is an important piece of kit.
 
Bi111ion said:
The really cheap DIY option is to use an RTL-SDR for about £3.70+ postage on ebay
Click to expand...
Wow they've dropped in price since I last looked!

Having said that, this is really something to use for watching AIS ashore, or as a back up system. If you go in crowded waters or sail in low visibility get a proper one as it is an important piece of kit.
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Nah - if its receive only you want then I think you can live without it. Not every boat has one, its just a convenience. I see no reason to spend £150+ on something you can get for < £10 plus antenna. It is NOT an essential piece of kit. I would accept it is pretty helpful if you are venturing out in fog or perhaps for night sailing. But then would you not be better transmitting? you want to 'be seen' as well as 'see'...
 
If you want to go really cheap, buy an app for your smart phone.

Receivers are about £200, transceivers are about £500. I want to see and have an alarm. I've used this lots - primarily as I do most of my sailing single-handed and want an alarm to go off if I'm down-below whilst sailing. Am happy to dodge the larger traffic - I suspect many of them turn off AIS-B in the waters that I sail in - and therefore wouldn't see me anyway.
 
If you have a computer to run OpenCPN on board the RTL-SDR is going to be cheaper than than any data costs on your phone.

I think the Marine Traffic App is free, but it needs a descent data connection. It would probably be handy in the Solent or Humber but other than that I dont usually have a phone signal where I sail.

As ShinyShoe says its good to have a transceiver. The cheapest is the Matsutec HP33A and there are a couple of threads on that. It works very well for me.

There are lots of other fun things to do with the RTL-SDR. For example you can watch planes by picking up ADS-B http://www.rtl-sdr.com/adsb-aircraft-radar-with-rtl-sdr/ Not sure this has any particular navigational purpose but it would be fun when you see a plane in the middle of the sea to know where it is going from and to.

If you are a hard core disaster prepper, expecting GPS and GLONASS to go down any time you could also pick up Satellite signals and by calculating their orbits and measuring the Doppler shift find your position.

You could also pick up aeronautical VOR beacons and get your bearing from them, also useful for the GPS switch off preppers maybe? http://www.rtl-sdr.com/receiving-vor-radio-navigation-rtl-sdr-gnu-radio/

You can pick up 406 EPIRB and PLB signals and decode them, if they have a GPS you know where they are.

Or you can make an Adcock style direction finding antenna and then you can take bearings on the VHF signal of boats, 121.5 beacons, radio station etc http://www.rtl-sdr.com/signal-direction-finding-with-an-rtl-sdr-raspberry-pi-and-redhawk/

...in fact the possibilities are so numerous it could be a hobby on its own and you would have no time for fixing the boat.
 
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ShinyShoe said:
Nah - if its receive only you want then I think you can live without it. Not every boat has one, its just a convenience. I see no reason to spend £150+ on something you can get for < £10 plus antenna. It is NOT an essential piece of kit. .......
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Skipper a boat in a busy area for a while with a good one for a while and you'll change your tune IMHO, going for anyone trying to remove it with a winch handle :)

The very accurate and incredibly useful data a receiver spits out for next to no power is well worth the cost of half a waterproof jacket.

Back to what, the daisy seems to get good press..

https://www.tindie.com/products/astuder/daisy-ais-receiver/
 
GHA said:
Back to what, the daisy seems to get good press..

https://www.tindie.com/products/astuder/daisy-ais-receiver/
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Yes that looks nice. I like having the AIS receiver built in to my VHF radio. The remote mic in the cockpit has a basic bearing and range display but best of all you can select a ship to call by DSC without typing in the MMSI which is really too tedious to bother. Especially when you dont see the ships name on AIS or the crew is might not recognise your pronunciation of the ships name a DSC call can work well. Also only uses one antenna.

So maybe when you upgrade your VHF get one with AIS (and built in GPS). However the IT has just decided to change radio channel numbers to 4 digits in a strange move to include US simplex A and B channels. That means current models will be obsolete. So either you say "stuff your 4 digit channels ITU" they will never catch on and you will get a nice obsolete radio at a discount or wait until the new standard ones are cheap again.

Also I expect to see AIS transponders integrated in VHF soon. Why not?
 
Bi111ion said:
The really cheap DIY option is to use an RTL-SDR for about £3.70+ postage on ebay

Then eg follow this tutorial

http://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-tutorial-cheap-ais-ship-tracking/

Apparently works with OpenCPN too.

Wouldnt be surprised if the QK-A021 is basically the same thing inside.

Having said that, this is really something to use for watching AIS ashore, or as a back up system. If you go in crowded waters or sail in low visibility get a proper one as it is an important piece of kit.
Click to expand...

Could one of these be used to receive weather satellite pictures direct from the satellite.
 
Bi111ion said:
Yes! Now that might actually be useful for voyagers http://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-tutorial-receiving-noaa-weather-satellite-images/

As with many applications it is the aerial that is the critical part and how to mount a suitable one on your boat. While the NOAA signals are VHF we want to pick up signals from the sky and polarized so the antennae look a bit strange.
Click to expand...

I don't see too many problems building one of these

picofqfh.gif


http://tinhatranch.com/how-to-build...-images-from-weather-satellites/#.V_It1uB96Uk

or one of these

http://www.wesacom.de/mx137_e.htm
 
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